Inflation may have cooled off some since its high in recent years, but a new poll by High Point University found that people across the state are still hurting from it and thinking about it.
“Inflation is still very much on the minds of North Carolinians interviewed for the newest HPU Poll,” the findings state. “More than half (54 percent) of North Carolina residents responding to the survey say inflation concerns have affected a lot of their spending decisions this year. About one-third (31 percent) say inflation concerns have affected some of their spending decisions, and only 12 percent say inflation concerns haven’t affected them much at all.”
As part of the poll on the unpleasant topic, North Carolinians were also asked to consider how the prices they pay for some items now compared to last year’s prices.
Nearly 60 percent of people said prices are much higher for meat – but less than half said they were paying a much higher price for gas (47 percent), eggs (43 percent), fruits and vegetables (41 percent), bread (40 percent), clothing (37 percent), milk (37 percent), natural gas (36 percent), electronics (35 percent) and water (30 percent).
Nearly half of North Carolina residents say that inflation over the past few months has been worse than they expected.
Almost one-third say inflation has been roughly what they anticipated, while only 20 percent say the inflation has been not as bad as expected.
Peter Summers, an associate professor of economics at High Point University, said the perception of inflation doesn’t always match the reality.
“Research has shown that people’s perceptions of inflation are strongly influenced by the prices they see most often,” he stated in a release containing the study’s results, “and these results are a perfect example of this. Even though overall inflation has fallen substantially since 2021, the prices of many items are noticeably higher than they would have been under more normal circumstances. For example, a pound of hamburger that cost $4 per pound in 2020 would be about $4.25 now if inflation had been steady at 2 percent per year. With the actual inflation rates we’ve seen since then, it would cost almost $4.75 instead.”
Half of those responding to the poll say they believe inflation will be higher 12 months from now – while about one-third say it will be about the same, and only 11 percent say it will be lower.
China can decimate our food supply anytime they wish. We’ve sold control of all our major protein & grain suppliers to them. Guess who owns the feed suppliers to control the farms? Stop selling land to corporations, they’re driving a good corner of the housing market now. Gas & income taxes could easily be eliminated with the Fair Tax. Fuel prices could be brought down by domestic production.
A vote for any Democrat, or RINO is a glowing approval of inflation. If Washington (or Raleigh) gave a damn, they’d do something more than pad their own wallets. All of these politicians are living high on the hog while John & Jane Q. Public are left sucking on the hind teat while working themselves to an early grave to fund these arseholes. “Government” might not be the enemy, but this one is.
If you do nothing else in 2024, go to the polls & vote!
Eggs, gas, & natural gas are mostly commodity cycles. Avain flu ran the price of eggs way up, now you can buy 12 large right around a dollar. Natural gas was run up by the Russo/Ukraine war, now Europe has enough on hand for the winter.
We are making it in retirement by having some savings. The interest or dividends we get don’t meet the inflation rate, and what we have saved is shrinking in value by the day. Thanks to our spendthrift govt handing out goodies that they don’t have.
Many people can no longer balance their checkbook, or in any way manage their finances. And many don’t make enough to live on. So whose fault is that? Our govt. You vote socialist, you get socialist – until you run out of other people’s money.
Funny you ignore the overspending by the right as if only democrats have pumped the spending.
What did you expect them to say about inflation?
They use skewed statistics, leaving out oil and food. The chickens haven’t come home to roost yet. They are intentionally destroying the USD and almost no one in the (swamp) demopublican duopoly is really doing anything to stop it. The govt as you know it has been doing the opposite to stop us from being self sufficient and free! Prove me wrong.
Re the statement: “Research has shown that people’s perceptions of inflation are strongly influenced by the prices they see most often,”, one might also say that they are also biased towards the perceived necessity of the item purchased. Things you don’t really need or can defer are not mentally sticky prices like the ones you believe that you must have at the expense of something else. This is one key reason the Bidenomics argument that inflation is worse in other countries so we should be happy is such a failure…
Take a look at Argentina. We are on the same path.